Pacific Northwest Gray Wolves Relief Act of 2025

H.R. 5171 would require the Secretary of the Interior to reissue a 2020 federal rule that removes gray wolves from protection under the Endangered Species Act, but only for wolf populations in Oregon and Washington. If enacted, the bill would direct the Interior Department to complete this reissuance within 60 days. The original 2020 rule was later vacated by a federal court, and protections were restored for most of Oregon and Washington. This bill would reverse that restoration in those two states, potentially allowing state-led management of wolf populations instead of federal protections.

Proponents argue that delisting would allow states to manage wolf populations that have been recolonizing the Pacific Northwest since the 1990s, and some ranchers and hunters contend that wolves negatively affect livestock and elk. Opponents counter that gray wolf populations in Oregon and Washington have not yet reached sustainable levels and that removing protections would undermine species recovery efforts. The bill is currently in the House Committee on Natural Resources and has not yet been voted on by the full chamber.